Applications of Dynamic Shading Screens for Residential Buildings in Taiwan

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2020This thesis aims to propose a designed dynamic shading screen that is culturally and environmentally feasible for residential buildings in Taiwan. As a country located in the tropical area, Taiwan consumes a great amount of electricity on cooling. In recent years, the high cooling load in Taiwan has been causing an energy crisis and issues of air pollution during the summertime. The proposed dynamic shading screen, by saving 20% electricity consumption per household, is able to lower the cooling loads while improve daylighting quality and thermal comfort in residential buildings. Ultimately, the goal is to amplify the energy-saving per household to the country’s scale in order to mitigate the issues of energy crisis and air pollution, which eventually will be beneficial to the entire living environment in Taiwan. The design of the dynamic shading screen carries on the tradition of Taiwanese window grilles. To verify the dynamic shading screen’s efficacy, the device’s energy-saving performance derived from energy end-use simulation will be compared with other conventional shading devices. For visualization, applications of the dynamic shading screens on an apartment and a townhouse, the two most dominant housing types, will be demonstrated. Concluding this research, a discussion of how the proposed dynamic shading screen might improve the living environment in Taiwan will be provided